The 34-year-old arrives on a free transfer after making 35 appearances in all competitions for Lille last season.
"When I got the call from Sunderland asking me to be part of the project, of course it's the Premier League - it's even bigger than European football," Meunier said.
Meunier, who spent four years each at Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund, has won 83 caps for Belgium and represented his country at the 2026 World Cup.